The DCCCD Foundation was created in 1973 by the founding chairman of the DCCCD Board of Trustees, R. L. Thornton, Jr., to provide an extra margin of excellence to the District and continuing quality to the community. Its sole purpose is to benefit the DCCCD and the students, faculty, and staff of the seven colleges, the Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development, and the R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications. The Foundation is governed by a board of local business and civic leaders. The Foundation is classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 organization. Contributions are deductible for tax purposes.

In its first 25 years, the Foundation built its assets from an initial gift of $12,000 to more than $6 million while disbursing more than $15 million in scholarships and grants to thousands of students and professionals throughout the DCCCD.